A response piece refers to preaddressed mail, such as a postcard, letter, or an envelope, provided by a mailer to third parties, such as customers. Typically, a response piece is provided to elicit and, in some instances, expedite responses from third parties and to provide more accurate delivery. For example, a magazine may provide a response piece to its subscribers to elicit and expedite responses from its subscribers. Such responses may include a customer's name and address, subscription information, and/or payment information.
There are two types of response pieces: a prepaid response piece and an unpaid response piece. A prepaid response piece refers to a response piece that requires the mailer to pay the postage when it is returned. Examples of prepaid response pieces include Business Reply Mail™ (BRM) and Qualified Business Reply Mail™ (QBRM) provided by the United States Postal Service (USPS). An unpaid response piece refers to a response piece that requires the sender to pay the postage before mailing. An example of an unpaid response piece is Courtesy Reply Mail™ (CRM) from USPS.
Presently, creating and distributing a response piece is cumbersome, time consuming, and expensive. To create CRM, the mailer must physically travel to the post office to apply for a standardized address and then the mailer must design the mailpiece according to specifications. To create BRM, a mailer must first physically travel to the local post office to apply for a permit, a standardized address, and a unique address code, and pay the appropriate fees. Finally, the mailer must design a mailpiece according to specifications.
To apply for a BRM permit, a mailer must travel to a local post office to fill out an application and remit payment to USPS. In addition, the mailer must travel to the local post office to pay the periodic permit fees.
To apply for a standardized address and a unique address code (or ZIP+4 Code), a mailer must travel to the local post office to fill out an application, which, for BRM, may be included with the application for the BRM permit. A standardized address contains all delivery address elements as matched against USPS records and contains the correct city name, state, and ZIP Code. A unique address code is based in part on the standardized address. A unique address code refers to a number that is typically the mailer's ZIP Code plus four extra digits. This unique address code, thus, can be referred to as a ZIP+4 number. The 4-digit add-on number identifies a high-volume receiver of mail for efficient mail sorting and delivery. ZIP+4 numbers are typically used by business mailers who prepare their mail with typewritten, machine-printed, or computerized addressing formats that can be read by the USPS's automated scanners during processing.
Finally, after receiving a BRM permit and an address code, the mailer must design the mailpiece, very often using expensive drafting equipment. The mailer must design the mailpiece according to format specifications set forth by USPS in the Domestic Mail Manual. Furthermore, for QBRM, a mailer is required to receive approval from a Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA). For BRM, the mailer is advised to receive MDA approval.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an automated response piece system that allows a mailer to automatically and efficiently create and distribute response pieces.